Triangle Seminars
Monday, 13 Mar 2023
LonTI: Geometry and fluxes
Daniel Waldram
(Imperial College)
Abstract:
Special geometries, such as Calabi-Yau manifolds, play a central role in multiple areas of string theory, as well as gravitational theories more generally. The goal of these lectures is to introduce some of the formalism and tools useful for characterising such geometries, pitched at the level of a starting PhD student. We will start with purely geometrical backgrounds using the general notions of a G-structure and special holonomy and then will go on to describe backgrounds that also have non-trivial fluxes. We will be guided by applications to string phenomenology and the AdS/cft correspondence.
Special geometries, such as Calabi-Yau manifolds, play a central role in multiple areas of string theory, as well as gravitational theories more generally. The goal of these lectures is to introduce some of the formalism and tools useful for characterising such geometries, pitched at the level of a starting PhD student. We will start with purely geometrical backgrounds using the general notions of a G-structure and special holonomy and then will go on to describe backgrounds that also have non-trivial fluxes. We will be guided by applications to string phenomenology and the AdS/cft correspondence.
Posted by: CityU2
LonTI Special Event. Tesco: From pen and paper to machine learning
Sebastian Lautz
(Tesco)
Abstract:
In this talk, I will outline how I went from solving Killing spinor equations with pen and paper to a career in coding-intensive Data Science. I'll talk about my experience of working as a Data Scientist for Tesco and how leaving academia didn't mean the end of doing research for me.
Bio: Sebastian completed his PhD in Theoretical Physics at King's in 2019. He then transitioned from the less big data-driven classification of SUGRA backgrounds to a career in computationally heavy machine learning. Since 2020, he's been working as a (by now) Senior Data Scientist at Tesco where he mainly works within the Price Optimisation space and looks after collaborations with academia.
In this talk, I will outline how I went from solving Killing spinor equations with pen and paper to a career in coding-intensive Data Science. I'll talk about my experience of working as a Data Scientist for Tesco and how leaving academia didn't mean the end of doing research for me.
Bio: Sebastian completed his PhD in Theoretical Physics at King's in 2019. He then transitioned from the less big data-driven classification of SUGRA backgrounds to a career in computationally heavy machine learning. Since 2020, he's been working as a (by now) Senior Data Scientist at Tesco where he mainly works within the Price Optimisation space and looks after collaborations with academia.
Posted by: CityU2
Reconstructing Gauge Group from OPE Coefficients
📍 London
Rajath Radhakrishnan
(ICTP Trieste)
Abstract:
The structure of the gauge group constrains the properties of operators in a G-gauge theory. In this talk, I will consider the reverse direction and ask what properties of a (finite) gauge group can be reconstructed from the operators. I will first consider OPE/fusion rules of Wilson lines and explain various properties of the gauge group that can be reconstructed from it. Then I will introduce certain surface operators which exist in any G-gauge theory. I will describe the fusion rules of these surface operators and show that, in general, there are properties of the gauge group that can be deduced from the fusion rules of surface operators which cannot be obtained from the fusion rules of Wilson lines, and vice-versa.
The structure of the gauge group constrains the properties of operators in a G-gauge theory. In this talk, I will consider the reverse direction and ask what properties of a (finite) gauge group can be reconstructed from the operators. I will first consider OPE/fusion rules of Wilson lines and explain various properties of the gauge group that can be reconstructed from it. Then I will introduce certain surface operators which exist in any G-gauge theory. I will describe the fusion rules of these surface operators and show that, in general, there are properties of the gauge group that can be deduced from the fusion rules of surface operators which cannot be obtained from the fusion rules of Wilson lines, and vice-versa.
Posted by: QMW
Tuesday, 14 Mar 2023
Non-perturbative strings, asymptotic safety, and the swampland
Alessia Platania
(Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics)
Abstract:
Quantum gravity is undoubtfully one of the most important missing pieces in the understanding of the mathematical structure of our universe.
The impossibility of consistently quantizing gravity via perturbative quantum field theory has led to a plethora of different proposals, from asymptotically safe gravity to non-local gravity, loop quantum gravity, and string theory. Different approaches face different problems and have succeeded in different areas. Yet, on the conceptual side, it is not obvious that all these frameworks are inequivalent or unrelated: some theories may be low-energy approximations of others, or could even provide different mathematical descriptions of the same physics. On the technical side, the knowledge gained in an approach could be useful to investigate certain aspects of others.
In this spirit, I will review progress in connecting and contrasting two theories: asymptotically safe gravity and string theory. Specifically, I will discuss how to test asymptotic safety using stringy swampland constraints, and how techniques developed in the context of asymptotically safe gravity can be exploited to compute cosmological higher-derivative corrections to all orders in string theory.
Quantum gravity is undoubtfully one of the most important missing pieces in the understanding of the mathematical structure of our universe.
The impossibility of consistently quantizing gravity via perturbative quantum field theory has led to a plethora of different proposals, from asymptotically safe gravity to non-local gravity, loop quantum gravity, and string theory. Different approaches face different problems and have succeeded in different areas. Yet, on the conceptual side, it is not obvious that all these frameworks are inequivalent or unrelated: some theories may be low-energy approximations of others, or could even provide different mathematical descriptions of the same physics. On the technical side, the knowledge gained in an approach could be useful to investigate certain aspects of others.
In this spirit, I will review progress in connecting and contrasting two theories: asymptotically safe gravity and string theory. Specifically, I will discuss how to test asymptotic safety using stringy swampland constraints, and how techniques developed in the context of asymptotically safe gravity can be exploited to compute cosmological higher-derivative corrections to all orders in string theory.
Posted by: IC
Thursday, 16 Mar 2023
Classification of Superconformal field theories in four dimensions
📍 London
Mario Martone
(KCL)
Abstract:
In this talk I will give you an update of the status of the classification
of superconformal field theories in four dimensions. After reviewing the basic
properties which make the classification of theories with both supersymmetry
and conformal invariance possible, I will describe in detail the framework which
allows for a bottom up analysis and summarise the latest results in rank-2.
In this talk I will give you an update of the status of the classification
of superconformal field theories in four dimensions. After reviewing the basic
properties which make the classification of theories with both supersymmetry
and conformal invariance possible, I will describe in detail the framework which
allows for a bottom up analysis and summarise the latest results in rank-2.
Posted by: QMW